Closing Hormuz strait not in Iran's interest: U.S.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Any attempt by Tehran to close the Strait of Hormuz would not be in Iran's interest but prove self-defeating to the country's oil-dependent economy, a Pentagon spokesman said on Tuesday.

"Shutting down the straits and closing off the Persian Gulf would be a sort of a self-defeating exercise," spokesman Geoff Morrell told reporters at a briefing. "I don't think it's in Iran's interest."

Morrell was speaking a day after the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Iran could easily close the key Gulf shipping route if it were attacked over its nuclear program.

(Reporting by David Morgan; editing by Randall Mikkelsen)